
Qass ^.^5 7 

Book lJL 



:r^7 



§ 

nil? 



PUBLISHED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE 
l^AWIES' ^AI^JlTAintY A1E> SOCIETTY OF ^JBireESJIlY. 



A SERMON 

OK THR OCCASION OF T:?E ASSASSINATION OF 

j^:btiji\.t^^j^isk i.iiNrooT,isr, 

LATE PRESIDE:^TT OF THE UNITED STATES, 

DELIVHTiED ON TTIIDNEGDAT, APrat, 19, 1865, 
(Eeing the ilayrof tho Obseiuies of our Martyr President.) 
IN THE EVANC-3LICAL LUTIIIIUAN CnURCH, STTNT5URT, PENN'A., 

PASTOR OF THE CHURCH. 



M 



SUNBURY, PA. 

H. 13. MASSEH AHD 3. WILVHE,T. 

1865, 



^^^^^^^mm^^^^^^M^s^^^^^^m:^^ 



PUBLISHED FOR THE BENEFIT OP THE 
l.A»ll^N SA^^IIARY All> SOCIETY OF ^r^R, ry. 

A SERMON 

ON THE OCCASION OP THE ASSASSINATION OP 

-A.b:r^X3:a.:m: LinsrcoLisr, 

r.ATE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 

DELIVERED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 18G5 

(Being the day of the Ob.equie. of our Martyr President.) 
IN THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, .UNBURY, PENN'A., 

KY KEV. ^'f. ^^BSOI>ES, 

PASTOE OF THE CHtTRCH. 



SilNBURY, PA. 

H. B. MASSEK AND E. WILVERT, 
1865. 



•va .=.,,1. Y,fA\)m ! 



This discourse offered to j^ou by the "Ladies' Sanftakv Aid Society 
OP SuNBURY," was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Rhodes, ou the day of the 
Obsequies of our Martyr President. 

The President and Ladies of the Society, believing so patriotic a dis- 
course, from a good and loyal mau, would be read with interest and pro- 
fit by all — earnestly petitioned for its publication for the benefit of the 
Society, and it was most reluctantly granted, as it had not been prepared 
by the author, for such a purpose. 

Mrs. JAMES BOYD, ) 

Mrs. WM. ROCKEFELLER, '• Committee, 

Miss BEULAH CLEMENT. ) 



A SERMON. 



nKT.TVKRED IN THE RVANGELICAI, LUTHERAN CHURCH, SUNBUTIT, PA.. 

APRIL 19, 18G5, 

BY REV. I^a. KIIODES. 

Text. — "Jeremiah 48: 17. Hoir is the strong stajf hrokoi f' 

We are assembled to-day as a nation of mourners ; to pay our 
last tribute of respect to a lamented and honored Chief Magis- 
trate stricken down by the hand of a vile and brutal assassin. 

The duty, therefore, that devolves upon us is one of extreme 
sadness. 

While we pronounce this funeral ovation, and mingle our tears 
with the thousands, Avho to-day are prostrate in sackcloth and 
ashes, the funeral cortege, steping to the doleful strokes of toll- 
ing bells, precedes with solemn tread, to the last resting place of 
the departed, there to deposit the sacred dust of the sleeping 
dead. 

A dark and portentous cloud has veiled in grief the national 
heavens, and the low mutterings of revengeful thunder break 
the solemn silence. The Great Heart of a mighty nation has 
been shattered, as with an electric shock, in the untimely death of 
its Head! An event as unexpected as a thunder clap, when a 
clear sky flings its welcome light upon the earth, was this most 
melancholy occurrence to the American people, and had an 
earthquake rocked us to ruin, no greater would have been our 
shock. Never, my friends, since this glorious nation emerged 
from beneath the yoke of oppression, have we m<^t with so great 
a calamity, nor one so universally lamented and deeply deplored. 

The heart of every sensible, feeling, country-loving and law- 
abiding citizen, beats in solemn sadness, and tlie sighs of ten 
thousand muflied heaits, but reiterate the languaf^e uf one of old, 
as he gazed upon the pale but beautiful corpse of a beloved son, 
—"Would God I had died for thee." 

Great is our affliction, and sorely does it oppress us. 



Our tears fall free and fast in behalf of a nation's Father; but 
since we are compelled, by stern cruel necessity, to accept the 
cerements of grief, we are proud to join in the general wail, for 
one so worthy of our tears, and we lay our grief-enshrouded tri- 
bute, upon the immortal memory of the noble dead, with feelings 
easier felt than expressed. 

The circumstances attendant upon this sad event, are in many 
respects remarkable, and reveal to us the all-wise and overruling 
hand of Providence. In the Sacred Record I find a legitimate 
parallel, which I beg leave to bring to your notice. It is found 
in the twilight hours of the life of perhaps the greatest mere man, 
that ever figured upon the earth. At this important juncture of 
this man's life, a spectacle is presented by no means free from 
sadness, yet grand and imposing, to the wonder of angels. 

The Israelites have passed the desert, and with the chains of 
their cruel bondage broken and crushed beneath their feet, they 
stand free, on the very borders of Canaan. Their noble leader 
and law-giver — the man who made Pharaoh tremble, whose wand 
sent desolating plagues over Egypt, rent asunder the sea, and 
made water to gush from the flinty rock ; that man, wonderful 
in deeds, and glorious in strength, whose voice rang like the 
voice of thunder through the armies of God's Israel, met for the 
last time, those whom he had guided through so many perils. 
Having passed the desert and reached the terminus of his jour- 
ney, Moses composed his song of triumph, and with deepest emo- 
tions unites with his people in its sublime utterance. As its me- 
lodious echo dies away, he ascends the Mount, to die. 

The height of his ambition was a successful entrance into the 
promised land; but God, who doeth all things well, had deter- 
mined otherwise. Standing upon that holy mount, he is only 
permitted to behold the beautiful land, whose healthful breezes he 
had hoped would fan his aged brow ; in beauty it flushes before 
him, but he is only permitted to see — not enjoy. 

Moses, doubtless, to his own surprise, and to the anguif^^h of 
the hosts of Israel, must lie down and die ; and his work, unfinish- 
ed, must be given into other hands. His mission was successfully 
filled, and never was there crowded witliin the compass of human 
existence, such a wonderful and noble work, as he had accom- 
plished. 

In view of the past anxiety and future prospect, who could ni^t 
wish that one who had done so nobly, might now, as he had 
brought the people to the very verge of the promised land, enter 
himself, and enjoy, Avith his flock its fragrance and beauty. But 
though this was his desire, for wise ends, it was not gratified. 
Moses had written his laws, and commanded the Levites to put 
the Holy Record into the ark; that after his death these lessons 



of wisdom might continue their influence, on their destiny as & 
nation. The close of his useful life is tinged mth- beauty. As a 
father he was loved — as a teacher he was venerated— as a righte- 
ous ruler he was obeyed and cherished. 

Thus Moses, after gazing with anxious look, trpon blooming 
Canaan, as its flush painted the distant horizon, delivered his 
valedictory, and handing over his mild, but just sceptre, to ano- 
ther, he departs from the scene of his toils and conflicts, to climes 
where the boom of cannon and flash and clatter of deadly wea- 
pons never disturb the holy silence, nor shroud in grief the dove 
of peace. How striking, my brethren, the analogy in many 
points, between the brief history here narrated of this great man, 
and that of him over whose enshrouded form we to-day bend with 
heavy grief, but, we trust, calm resignation. 

"How is the strong staff broken!" 

For four long and anxious years, has the Ship of State plough- 
ed its way through a sea of blood, guided by a hand now palsied 
in death, and just when this noble bark, radiating an envied 
glory, had arrived at the very port of deliverance, and was about 
to land her precious freight upon the banks of the much desired 
Canaan of peace — when the luminous future, glowing in the 
light of ten thousand suns was emerging from darkness and 
blood ; when the stars long held within the filthy coils of a hell- 
born serpent, were being placed bright and free, amid the shouts 
of men and angels, in the banner of the nation's pride ; when 
crimson victory had flashed its glory light from horizon to hori- 
zon, revealing in its Divine brilliancy the long prayed for bow of 
peace, causing every lover of Liberty, Truth and Righteousness 
to exclaim — "Glory to God in the highest;" — just when the tem- 
ple of the confederacy, whose charter was written by his Satanic 
majesty, upon the stepping-stone of perdition, whose corner stone 
is inhuman, brutal slaver}', and whose vaulted dome is treason, 
had tottered and fallen into ruin, in a disgrace from which it can 
never be redeemed ; just when the electric thunder-bolt forged in 
Ilea veil, and hurled by the now silent hand of him for whom the 
nation weeps, had broken the chains of oppression and tyrany. 
declaring in the echo of the mighty stroke, the God-given birth- 
right of Liberty to all mankind; just when a nation baptized 
with fire and blood, was coming out of the crucible of affliction, 
bright, free, pure and glorious; just when the noble departed was 
about to gaze upon the brilliant reality of his strongest desires 
and most earnest prayers, he is suddenly and most brutally hurl- 
ed into the embrace of death. When our joy had arisen to the 
very heavens and mingled with that of angels, then, leaping over 
the electric wire with solemn rattle, comes the sad intelligence, — 
Abraham Lincoln, the great, noble, honest and beloved, is no 
more. 



8 

Sacrificed at the hand of a fiend, he lies prostrate, dead, upon 
the altar of his country. The proud and virtuous emblem of the 
nation, reluctantly bows her crimson folds, and assumes the garb 
of mourning. "The joy of our heart is made to cease," and 
stunned by the bewildering shock, we hide our heads in grief, and 
amid such tears as never flowed, exclaim — "How is the strong 
staff" broken !" 

Wc are not even consoled in knowing that his death was a na- 
tural one ; but deeper is the thorn of anguish, driven into our 
hearts from the fact that, he was the victim of a cowardly and 
fiendish murderer, whose unholy and malignant spirit is only 
equalled by the fiends who ever curse in the pit. However difli- 
cult it may be to persuade ourselves of the sad fact, it is never- 
theless true, that *that noble brow, now wreathed in the emblem 
of sorrow, is pale and subdued under the sceptre of the Grim 
King. Death, solemn death, exultantly shouts over another 
bright jewel placed in his crown. 

He has fallen a persecuted martyr, to the cause which he so 
cheerfully espoused. The altar of freedom is stained with his 
precious blood, while the flag, for which he had such a holy jeal- 
ousy, and which he so bravely defended, is crimsoned with his 
gore. He is gone ; his body is dead ; but his spirit lives, and 
towering far above that of any other similar martyr, it will breathe 
the heaven-born breath of Liberty, over this nation, as long as 
the goddess of the same sits upon her throne. 

The nation baptized with the blood of many heroes, is now re- 
baptized, for its own glory, in the blood of its Chief Ruler. 

No uninspired man, has ever won a brighter immortality, than 
the subject of our grief to-day. By his righteous and heaven- 
dictated edict of freedom to the down-trodden and oppressed, un- 
der which rebellion heaved its hellish death-groan, he has written 
his name, highest and brightest upon the fadeless pyramid of im- 
mortality. For this most noble deed of his useful life, he has 
secured a star for his future crown that casts in its brightness a 
blush upon all the rest; and for whatever he may in common 
with the best, have to account for, at the bar before which ho 
stands, for this noble deed, he will receive the welcome congratu- 
lation — "Well done <:ood and faithful servant." For his noble 
and fearless course in the right, his name has become a dear 
household word in every Christian and liberty-loving family, while 
that countenance, expressive of every noble and envied trait, will 
compose the sacred relic of departed love and hope, in the home 
of every true patriot. His name, fragrant with grateful remem- 
brance, is Avritten, never to be effaced, upon the imperishable 



Portrait behind the speaker. 





anonuraent of a nation's pride and glory. Illustrious man ! — • 
noble patriot ! — beloved ruler ! — herald of liberty ! — friend of 
the suffering enslaved ! — willing martyr to a righteous cause ! — 
thou art gone ! dumb to the merited eulogies given in hon'u- of 
worthy deeds ; but though dead, he still speaks from his winding 
sheet and vaulted home, in words that were coined in heaven, 
and that are destined to bless unborn millions. That name, 
which we had learned so fondly to love, is embalmed in the sunny 
memory of the American people, as second to none of her noble 
dead, and proudly may the father or mother around whose hearth- 
stone and sacred altar he threw the arm of protection, point your 
childien, with exultant pride, *to that now lifeless form as one in 
many respects worthy of imitation, and teach them to lisp his im- 
mortal name, as the instrument, in the hands of a righteous God, of 
the nation's redemption. Yes, as John was the forerunner of the 
Redeemer and the harbinger of the luminous^ morn of Christian- 
ity, and as at the close of his painful but blessed work, he fell a 
martyr to his cause, at the hand of a godless murderer, so Abra- 
ham Lincoln, in God's providence has been reared and qualified 
to prepare this nation for such an epoch, so brilliant, that before 
its rising flush, all its former glory will blush;, through his instru- 
mentality in a great measure it is destined to become Immanucl's 
land — the ark of freedom and salvation to the oppressed — a very 
dwelling-place of righteousness ; and after the mission is fulfilled, 
like the Evangelist, he confirms the truth with the imperishable 
seal of his own blood. Under these meditations, not as we per- 
ceive in the least exaggerated, who that frowns upon treason, 
and cherishes the God-given gift of Liberty, and whose soul is 
not steeped and shriveled in the foul prejudices of party spirit ; 
who among such, is not willing to pray, that the mantel of the de- 
parted magistrate, may have fallen upon the living successor ; 
and who that tries to look through the darkening gloom that be- 
clouds onr vision, is not ready to exclaim in plaintive tones — 
"How is the strong staff broken !" 

A few more words relative to the character of this great man, 
and I w'ill proceed to notice some of the lessons to be learned from 
this great calamity. As a private citizen, though not personally 
acquainted with him, we have learned long since that he was an 
exception to many, who have been elevated to stations of honor 
and responsibility. His organization was evenly in all its parts. 
His disposition was kind, amiable, loving and cheerful, to which 
last trait, the preservation of his health, under the pressing bur- 
dens of his position, and the corrupt effusions of the slanderer's- 
tongue, to a great extent, doubtless, must be attributed; andi 



Alluxles to portrait. 



10 

while he had much to excite and exasperate, yet he recognised 
his fellow men of all parties as a friend, and willingly extended 
to them a hand, whose living shake, silently spoke the well-being 
of all who had the honor to press it. 

Exalted to the highest position in the gift of the people, he was 
not proud nor elated, but always received the honor impressed 
with its responsibility, and with a modesty becoming a righteous 
ruler. In company he was companionable, — witty but chaste, — 
firm but charitable, — lively but consistent. In short, as a private 
citizen he was the highest style of a gentleman, scorning to con- 
descend to those mean, corrupt and selfish deeds, which too often 
characterize men elevated to position. I rejoice to add, after the 
much that has been said, (most of it through hatred,) as to his 
Christian character, that from early youth the Word of God has 
been the man of his council, never leaving a day pass without 
looking upon its holy pages. 

And in a reply to an inquiry of a clergyman appointed for that 
purpose, as to whether he loved Jesus, he feelingly answered, 
"When I left my home to be inaugurated, I was not a Christian ; 
when my son Willie died, I Avas not a Christian ; Avhen I gazed 
upon the graves of the honored dead, on the blood-stained and 
immortalize fl field of Gettysburg, I gave myself to God ; I love 
Jesus." 

We scarce think that such a thing would find its way into the 
press, if it were not correct. His last memorable message is an 
evidence of genuine piety and strong faith in God. We are not 
here then, to mourn the loss of a noble one, whom we may never 
see again, but one whose dust will be stirred with the angel's 
trump, and share with us, we trust, the glory of the first resur- 
rection. His loss as a mere citizen, has occasioned many hearts, 
agonizing in convulsions of grief, to ask — "How is the strong 
arm broken !" 

As a ruler he never had a superior. No one ever ruled under 
such trying circumstances, and no one was ever more truly de- 
voted to the well-being of the nation. All of his official deeds 
have been characterized with the purest motives and strictest 
honesty; his great aim being, the welfare of the people he gov- 
erned. 

Neither proud nor tyrannical, he ruled his subjects as a father 
rules his family ; in the spirit of love. Though twice honored 
with the sceptre of authority, he gloried not in the defeat of the 
opposition, but accepted the trust with a grateful heart, deter- 
mined never to disgrace by any deed the kindness lavished upon 
him, nor to sully the glory which the nation had acquired during 
his comparatively faultless reign. With a sound and well-balanc- 
ed judgment, — a far-reaching vision, — and a wisdom quickened 



11 

"Vtlth the breath of heaven, — he investigated the means for the 
accomplishment of any end with the closest scrutiny ; — consider- 
ed carefully all their momentous results, — and arrived only at 
conclusions after calm, deliberate judgment. Though he has 
been stigmatized as a tyrant, (and by many who to-day should 
blush for the crime,) yet no man was more free from such a spirit. 
While rebellious, ungrateful children, were being chastised for the 
highest national crime on earth, what heart more reluctantly ap- 
plied the rod of severity, than that of Abraham Lincoln? He 
was the last one to glory over the death or downfall of an enemy; 
his heart, with the nation's, pulsated with joy, but it was the out- 
burst of a noble soul, only, that right had prevailed over wrong. 
He unsheathed the sword of the nation, not from any tyrannical 
passion for the shedding of blood, but that the supremacy of law, 
which he had sworn not to violate, might be maintained ; — that 
the Union, bought with the blood of departed heroes, and be- 
dewed with the tears of their widows and orphans, might be per- 
.petuated to the latest generation, — One and Inseparable. His 
reign was emphatically one of righteousness ; in behalf of none 
-did ever so many earnest prayers fall at the feet of the God of 
nations; and in none did the Christian community ever play so 
prominent and active a part; and in none was the hand of God 
so signally recognized ; and I may add, that over the death of no 
ruler, did the chosen of God ever shed so many and bitter tears. 
No one ever met with sucli oppositicm from friend and foe; but 
in all, the gaUant ship, under his care, proudly moved on, leav- 
ing the conquered waves behind, and telling to the world, as its 
banner floated in the breeze, that, "to 6ght against God is raving 
madness." His reign, from first to last, was such a scene of toil 
and anxiety, as no ruler w'as ever before called to pass through ; 
and now that he is dead, and his rule has passed into history, it 
Avill be written in letters of blood, as the most remarkable, faith- 
ful and successful that has ever been given to the world. 

As a ruler, he must be applauded, and a benediction of peace 
pronounced upon his ashes; — and palsied be the arm that laid 
bim low, and paralized tlie tongue, that would anathematize his 
honored dust. 

In his death, we have met wjxh an irretrievable loss; and as 
we labour to convince ourselves of his sudden demise; — as we 
vainly attempt to hush the indignant feeling excited and raging 
in every loyal bosom; — as we look at God's great gift to the na- 
tion, of which we were proud, and thus open afresh the gash in 
our wounded hearts, we are compelled in anguish to cry out, 
"How is the strong staif broken!" 

As a patriot, I need only point you to the past. As an index 
to this you have his fearless, scathing rebukes to treason; his wise 



12 

and judicious plans to crush the serpent's head and extract the 
vile poison ; his self-denying spirit in the nation's behalf; his ar- 
duous toil, and finally, his cruel death. As you look at that fond 
face,* now a coveted trophy of death, you look upon a patriot a 
greater and nobler than which, there never has been; and if ever 
you are permited to stand by the side of his grave, — as sacred as 
that, fanned by the evening zephyr of the Potomac, you will gaze 
upon the tomb of a loved and respected citizen — ,a righteous and 
honest ruler, — and the brightest martyr that ever crimsoned the 
throne of Liberty with human blood. In short, if ever there was 
a noble man^ it was he whose death we mourn to-day. And in 
view of the unexpected shock, causing the firm pillars of Govern- 
ment to tremble on their solid foundations, and the inhabitants 
to send up a lamentable wail of anguish, may we not with feelings 
akin to those that stirred the soul of the weeping prophet, ex- 
claim, — "How is the strong staff broken I" 

Having spoken of the character and death of our lamented ru- 
ler, let us now notice some lessons that may be learned from this 
sad calamity. 

1st. We may learn a lesson of providence. 
God is the Ruler of men and nations. All things, from the 
death of our loved Chief Magistrate, to the fall of a sparrow, at- 
tract his notice. 

No one who believes that God is a Sovereign Ruler, and that 
He governs all by His universal providence, can help but see the 
most living manifestation of the hand of God,, in the struggle of 
the nation for the past four years. Indeed, it was only through 
His providential teaching, that we have learned the vast propor- 
tions of the giant with which we have had to contend, and the 
fury and cruelty of the demoniacal spirit that possesses it. De- 
feat taught us, that to go into the field, first, to try to win before 
we slew, was but to beat the road to certain death. Repeated 
disasters assured us, that, to put a premium on human life at the 
sacrifice of Liberty and Union, was simply to take the vile snake 
into the nation's bosom, and having warmed and nourished it to 
life, allow it to sink its deadly fangs into the nation's heart. 

God's providence has taught us, that treason is a crime, upon 
which heaven flings its indignant frown, and that rebellion is a 
devil of gigantic proportions which must be subdued, killed by a 
strong arm, never to know a resurrection ; and that human bond- 
age is a nation's curse, subversive of every principle of Holy 
Writ, and degrading lower that the brute, its victims and advo- 
cates; and that the only path to national glory and greatness, is 
to seize the trumpet of freedom, and in spite of men and devils„. 



* Pointing to likeness. 



blow a blast of Liberty that can be heard the round earth, caus- 
ing every heart long bound in the shackles of oppression, to leap 
and shout for joy. Now, as the manifestation of God's pro- 
vidence is plain in all that I have mentioned, and much more, so 
m-.iy we learn a similar lesson, from the sad circumstance which 
has for the past few days paralyzed the nation. During four 
perilous years, God has had our ruler under the protecting sha- 
dow of his wings ; has mercifully preserved and saved him from 
the murderous hands of those who thirsted, long since, for his 
blood. The deepest plans and diabolical schemes concocted be- 
fore, for his assassination were all thwarted ; all former attempts 
to so flagrant a crime failed. His mission was not yet fulfilled ; — 
his Avork not yet done; — it was only when infinite wisdom gave 
the permit, that the murderer succeeds in gratifying the desires of 
a heart, hard as the corner-stone of perdition. "It must needs 
be that offences come, but wo to that man by whom the offence 
cometh." Is it not remarkable, my friends, and does it not ap- 
pear like a providential occurrence, that this great and good man 
Was spared, until all hope of slavery was swept away in the blood 
of its advocates; and rebellion, riven by the wrath of God, and 
tottering in the spasms of a richly merited death, on the crumb- 
ling precipice that overhangs the pit, was just falling into the 
undying flames, that were Avide-stretched for its reception. A 
providence, no doubt, there was in his attendance at the theatre, 
(though we offer this not as an apology for such amusement,) but 
had he been found elsewhere, other of his advisors might have 
shared the same fate ; for, without doubt, the hellish plan con- 
templated the assassination of the entire Cabinet. 

Such a spirit as dwelt in the body of this noble man, was just 
the one to rule during this bloody conflict. He was mild, gentle, 
lenient, ever disposed to forgive ; no other would have answered 
so well. 

He hushed to rest the discordant elements at home and abroad; 
he calmed the troubled waters of party spirit and revenge; by his 
mildness and magnanimity he made his very enemies love him ; 
and now that the end draws near, and the fair bird of peace un- 
folds her wings to embrace the nation ; and that the time has 
come when traitors must receive the reward of their deeds of blood 
and infamy; it has pleased a good God to give the sceptre of au- 
thority into the hands of one, who from his natural temperament, 
will prove a greater terror to evil doers. 

My brethren, in this inhuman deed there is a wise providence ; 
darkness and gloom now becloud our vision, but by and by the 
light will burst upon us, and over that which has cost the blood 
of our national parent, we will weap tears of joy. It is for us, to 
bow submissively to the decission of our Heavenly Father, not 



14 

forgetting, "that behind frowning clouds he hides a smiling face;" 
and that He who has not only preserved us through years of 
sorrow and blood, but breathed immortal breath into the national 
life, will in due time crown us with a glory, more than adequate 
to the loss of our lamented President. Let us not be discouraged 
in the least. 

When Moses had completed his work, God raised up a Joshua; 
and He will remember us. The anchor of our hope is cast by the 
throne of God. 

Having then bowed to this stroke of providence, let us join 
hands and pledge to each other, "our lives, our fortunes, and our 
sacred honor," that we will be true to the principles of Liberty 
he (President) proclaimed, true to the Government he preserved, 
true to the Country he has embalmed in his blood, and true to the 
God whom he recognized as his support and guide. 
2nd. How traitors are to be treated. 

The time has come when vengeance must be meted out to those 
who richly deserve it. Justice, seated upon her throne, demands 
that the fullest penalty of the law be executed upon those whose 
brows bear the brand of high-handed treason and infamy. 

We are not here as a preacher of vengeance ; it is ours to ex- 
tend the olive branch ; but a time comes in the case of some men, 
when mercy can only be exercised at the total sacrifice of every 
principle of justice. 

No doubt, had our President lived, his policy toward traitors 
would have been characterized by all possible mildness. His 
whole nature turned with horror from the sacrifice of life. He 
was, perhaps, too much impressed with the truth, that "to err is 
human, to forgive divine." Indeed, if he had a fault in his rule, 
it was too much leniency toward armed traitors that have long 
since thirsted for his precious blood. 

He did not countenance treason, nor did he have any sympathy 
for rebellion, but forgiveness was the not unenvied trait of his no- 
ble heart, and with this smiling upon his lips, he closed his eyes in 
death. 

But however lovely the attiibute of mercy, should she not bow 
to the dictum of Justice, in the treatment of ti-aitors and whole- 
sale murderers ? and are we net taught this lesson most certainly 
in the cowardly and brutal assassination of the President? Law 
is recognized by God. Government is a divine institution, and 
its honor and integrity can only be vindicated by suspending be- 
tween heaven and earth every leader of this unholy rebellion. 
To execute a private murderer in the yard of one of our county 
jails, and allow these men, whose hands arc stained, and whose 
garments are dripping with the blood of thousands, to go unpun- 
ished, is simply to mock law, — to defile the virgin of justice, — 



15 

to heap infamy and eternal disgrace upon tlie graves of departed 
braves, — to look with sneering contempt upon the veiled widow 
and fatherless child, — and to veil the memory of a revered Ma- 
gistrate in a shroud of ungrateful injustice. In the words of 
another, "Before God and man," these leaders "are answerable 
for all the suffering and bloodshed of this war. History hardly 
furnishes a parallel to this monstrous wickedness;" and for its 
just punishment, the blood of the slain cries from the ground, God 
forbid, that we should excite any other feeling, than a love of hu- 
manity and justice ; or in the least speak disparagingly of Chris- 
tian charity. 

But where beats there a heart that does not wish that killed 
dead, that has well-nigh ruined the best Nation and Government 
the sun ever shone upon, and who is not ready to s;<y, — Amen, 
— to the speedy execution of the bloody, ambitious men who, 
blindfolding their own people, have compelled thousands of them 
to raise the fratricidal hand, and unsheath the sword, for the de- 
struction of the nation that has given them birth and protection. 

Again, in the words of the one quoted above. "The righteous 
God hates iniquity, and it is always perilous for those in autho- 
rity to sympathize with criminals, or connive at their wickedness. 

The loyal press and the pulpit should combine, and demand of 
the present administration the fulfilment of its obligations," ami 
let all the people respond — Amen. "If Davis, Lee & Co, make 
good their escape, and gpt beyond the jurisdiction of the United 
States, Jf t them go. God will set a mark upon them, as indelible 
as the brand on the brow of Cain, and a curse will follow them 
to the ends of the earth. If they fall into the hands of the Gov- 
ernment, the welfare of society and all the interests of humanity 
demand, that they shall be tried, found guilty, and hanged by the 
neck until they are dead." 

And now, in reference to the rebellion, the fiendish spirit of 
Avhich has assassinated oar lamented Ruler, it is unnecessary to 
say any thing. Its death knell is being rung. The hand-writ- 
ing has been written by a just God upon its polluted walls; Ba- 
bylon, the mother of harlots, has fallen, and buried in a grave of 
eternal disgrace, it will rot under the withering curse of God, and 
the just imprecations of a sorrow-stricken nation. 

Now, in conclusion. That we have assembled to-day to give 
expression fo our grief, and to pay our tribute of respect to the 
one, to whom we are so much indebted; it is well for us to re- 
member, that we have been chastised by One who means it well ; 
and we would treat with disrespect the means employed, if we di'l 
not profit by this sore trial. Ours is a national calamity sr.d 
affliction, and it should lead us to repentance for our pins, and to 
express our loyalty and love of country, by move frequent visits 



16 

to the Throne of Grace, imploring earnestly, the nation's deliv- f 
erance, purity, peace and prosperity. A strong staff has been / ^ 
broken, but God still sits upon the throne: covered by his wings, > c 
the giites of hell shall not prevail Hgainst us. From Him our 
help must come; and through his blessing we shall soon dry our 
tears, and celebrate in anthems of praise, the proclamation of 
peace. And while we weep, let us not forget the beieaved widow 
and fatherless family: to them we owe our sympathy and pray- 
ers: and as a testimony of our esteem for him who ever gladly 
condescended to recognize and comfort the humble soldier, and 
for our appreciation of the suffering they have endured for us, let 
us drop, Avith a God-bless, our mite into the treasury of the angel 
of mercy* for their ease and comfort. 

And may the God of nations comfort us in our sorrow, — throw 
Lis arms of salvation around us, — preserve and endow with wis- 
dom the President and his advisors, — comfort with the hopes of 
the resurrection, the bereaved wife and orphan children of the 
departed, — and finally make our land happy in an honorable 
peace, — an assylum for the oppressed, — a very temple of Liberty, 
and a dwelling-place of righteousness. — Amen. 



* Collection taken for sick and wounded soldiers. 



LB S '12 



